Apparatus for separating oil from oil shale, etc.



APPARATUS Fok ssPA'RATIN OIL FROMIOILSH'ALE, vETC April 22 1924.

' Oil from Oil `Shale,

Patented 22, 1924. l

fumreo ,sT'ATEs PATIENT orrics.

wratten-nanna, or narrano, New

Yoan.

' arrnnarus non', snraaa'rme on. raoi't omsnnms.-

. Application nledrlgebniary 7,

includes asphalt and mineral matter such as crushed shale, sand, etc.

It will be understood that the vterm shale as used herein, .includes not-only i n glate is rotating, the 'charges o f material in but also sand,whicli may be the lproduct of t artificially crushed or pulverized shale rock,

the natural disintegration of such rock.

I accomplish the objects of tlie4 invention by the improvements hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,-

Figure 1 is a rspective view, showing an apparatus ein ing the invention, a portion of tlieeretort -eing shown in section.

Figure 2 is a sectional view, showing the air-excluding, shalefeeding means shown in perspective y Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section, showing the lower portion of the retort.

Figure 4 is a cross section of the retort on a larger scale, showing the preferred arraglement of the electrodes.

e same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

Mounted on a suitable basev or support 12 is a vertically elongated retort 13, preferably .cylindrical in cross section. At the upper ortion of the retort is a shale inlet 14, whic is preferably the downwardl bent inner end of a conduit 14. At the ower end is an outlet 15, for residual matter, such as a mixture of asphalt and' crushed mineral' remaining after the volatilization of the liquid matter originally contained in the shale, said outlet being preferably one end of a semicircular spout 15* formed in a bottom 16 (Figure 3), closin the lower end of the retort, as shown by igure.

Shale prepared for treatment by the ap- -garatus is introduced through the inlet 14 ya'ir-excluding feeding means, organized to `bustionin the retort, said means economical apparatus for bituminous shal 'and for se of the ljuste-the wi The chute 17 is preferably provided -with aim. serial" m. 011,472,-

prevent the entrance into the retort through said inlet of suicient air to support comr erabl embodied in a substantialy; cal c ute 17, communicating wi e conduit 14 and a rotary air-excluding gate 18 mounted on a shaft 19 and extendin across the chute, said gate having curv wings 19* and' forming ockets 20 ada ted to deliver charges of ale fromtlie c ute to the conduit.

l A' hoppler 21 provides an entrance to the chute. e outer ends of the wings are in close rubbing contact with the cylindricalI internal surface of the chute, and their arrangement is suchjthat shale cannot pass from 4the hopper to the conduit 14 when the ate is at rest, and air cannot pass fiomthe opper to the conduit when the e pockets 2O formingmoving air-excludin plugs. l

o minimize and compensate for wear, I form the wings 19'L separately fromthe body of har ened s or other material harder than the body. I also make the wings radiallyadjustable, so that they may be adjusted outward as occasion may require, each wi having a fiat base movable on` a tangentia seat 18l on the body and adjustable thereon by a tangentially arranged adjusting screw. 22, so engaged with the bod and the wing that rotationof the screw'a either inward or outward.

scraper 23, pivoted at 24, and adapted to bear yieldingly on the wings 19 .and prevent the accumulation of material thereon.

The conduit 14* may be externally heated by heatingmeans embodiedrin a' 25, surroundings.l rtion of thgccndmt.

and burners wit t e casing supplied with gasbyapipe26.

The retort is rovided 'with' heatin means, located in e ,path of material f ing from the inlet 14, andp'referably'embodied in carbon' electrodes 27, connected with a source of electrical energy, and adapted to Aforni arcs whereby a temperature of approximately 800 withixrthe retort.

The ou contained in um failing alinas" thus subjected tol destructive distillation, and volatilized before 16. 29 representsa horizonta y elongated condensing conduit, connected with the yupate, and. referably makethe wings the bQttOmf F. may .b eiproduced per end of the retort, and preferabl 'rovided with a 'series of Watersealedytiaps 30. A water-delivering nozzle 31 entering the'condens' conduit at a point adjacent to the retort elivers a jet or jets of water,

whereby the volatilized oil is condensed.

may be collecte -.adapted to discharge -the collecting tank 341.` The o connected with the 32 represents a pum) con ensing conduit, and

outer end of the 'adapted to. continuously exert suction in the retort and .in said conduit, and thus draw the A may.

, a pipe 26 to suplply the burners in the casmgr, oi-for ot er purposes.

in the outlet 15, preventing the admission of air tothe retort through said outlet,

It will now be seen that distillation takes 'lace in `the retort without liability of come ustion, r. partial combustion of the volav tilized matter.-

The residual matter including the asphaltbase, and the powdered mineral mati through nozzles', tolair passages ter emerging from the outlet -15, may be sep arated into ts'component parts by an air 'nozzle ,37, and a water nozzle-38 located. one

above the other under the outlet, and discharging ,jets of water. and air-against the stream 'of residual matter overa tank 39. The air jet separates the asphalt base from the mineral matter, and the water jet etiects further separation.

The nozzles 31 and 38may be-supplied' y a with 4water under suitable pressure pum air or blower 41 which'may also suppl the lire-brick lining ofthe retort, to prodo 4 The conduit a vertical stream tect saidlining.

14* may be provided with-a screw conveyor 45, driven by a pulley 46. -The spout 15" may be provided with a vscrew conveyor 47, driven by a pulley 48.

1. An'apparatus for separating oil 4fi'o 'oil-shale, comprising, in combination, a verf tical retort having an. inlet for crushed ma.-

terialat its upper end, and an outlet for residuum at the vwer end, air-excluding, feedmspem" imwfing miriistiiid an e ma ria in i. the retort, the outlet being formed to deliver residualmatter form of a movingplu'g, which residual matter forms a moving plug 40. The air nozzle '3T-may be sup-v plie `with air under pressure, by a pump prevents the entrance of air into the retort through the outlet, heatin means within the retort in the path of said stream, organized to act on the falling material and cause destructive distillation thereof, a condensin conduit for the volatilized products of distillation, communicatingwiththe upper end of the retort, means or condens' the volatilized products in said conduit, an a pump connected with the conduit, and

.adapted to maintain a constant suction in the retort and the conduit, and to force the condensate to a receptacle. i

2. An apparatus substantially as specified by claim 1, the said feeding means including a substantially c lindrical chute,

communicating with the in et, a rotary airexcludng gate located in the chute and extending across the same, said gate having curved wings forming'pockets, adapted to deliver charges of material from the chute, and a con uit communicating with the chute', and having a discharge end located in the retort and constituting the retort inlet, the charges -in said. pockets" .forming plugs which prevent the -introduction of air thro said inletinto the retort.

3. apparatus substantially/as specified by claim 1,.the' said feeding means including a substantiall Y.:ylindrical-chute, communcating with cluding' gate located in ef chute andextending across the same, said gate having curved wings forming pockets, vadapted to deliver char and `a con uit communicating with the chute, and having a discharge -end located in the retort and' constituting the retort inf let, the charges in said pockets forming plugs which prevent the introduction of air through said inlet into the retort, the chute being rovided with a pivoted scraper adapted, to bear yieldingly Von said wings.

4.. fied 4by claim 1, the said feeding means including a substantially cylindrical chute, communicating with the inlet, a rotary air;

excluding gate located `in the chute and ,across the same, said gate. having-.

wings forming pockets, adapted to' ten deliver cha of material'froxnf-the chute,

-and a Vcon' uit communicating with the chute, and having. a discharge endy located inthe retort and constituting the retort mu let, the charges in said( pockets formi prevent the introduction o said inlet into the retort, said plugs which awmgsir thrli: h rd ed ta tvin a en nose ieces con c in withtlg) interior of tige chute, and. radially adjustable to compensate for wear and maintain air-excluding contact be tween the wings and the chute.

5, An apparatus substantially as specified by claim 1, the said feedin -means includ-l Iing a substantiallycylindricalf chute, comgf materialrirom 'the chute,

loo

An apparatus substantially as Aspect 'lll e inlet'afrotary air'extending acrossy the same,

inlet Yinto the retort,

a rotary airex' chute and exy said gate `having curved wings forming pockets, adapted to deliver charges of material from the chute, al conduit communicating with the chute, and having a discharge end -located in the retort and const'tuting the retort inlet, the charges in said pockets forming tKluge which prevent the introduction of air rough said and means forr eating municating with the cluding gate located in y laid odnduit. i

6. An a` paratus substantially as specified by claim the said feeding means including ya substantially cylindricalchute, communicating vwith the inlet a rotary air-excluding gate located in the chute and extend' across the same, said gate having curv` wings r:forming pockets, adapted to deliver charges of material from the chute,

a conduit communicatingl with the and having a discharge end located in the by claim toit and cqistitultingfthe inlet,htihe argesinsai poc etsorming ugsw iv prevent the introduction of air thi-ou h said y anda conveyor terial through the retort inlet. 7. An apparatussubstantially as specified the` said feeding means including a substantially cylindrical chute, com;

mumcatmg with 4cIudi'ng gatelocated :in e chute and extendi lacross the same, said gate having c wings forming p ockets, adapted to deliver chargesv of material fromtlie chute, i

a conduit `coinniunicating with the chute, and having adischarge end located in the retort and constituting the retort inlet, the

charges in said pockets forming lugs which revent the introduction of air through said inlet into the retort, and a conveyor adapted to force material through the retort outlet. 1

8. `.an apparatus subet'antially'as specified chute,

fied by claim 1,

apted i through sai ytheinle a notary air-exes prolecting into the retort and adapted to produce heat s uficient to volatilize the oil in the falling material. 4 Y y 9. Affv apparatus substantially as s ilied by claim 1, comprising also means or separating the ingredients of residual matter discharged through the said retort outlet.

10. An apparatus substantially as speci fied by claim 1, comprising also a horizontal water-,holding tank arra -to4 receive residual matter discha rough said retort outlet, an air-disc arging nzle, and a water-discharging nozzle, said nozzles' i ing arranged between the retort outlet and the tank, to horizontally direotV a water Let andan air jet against a stream delivered y said outlet, means being rovided for foro ing water and air throu A saidl nozzles.

11. An apparatus substantiallyI as' specisaid condensing conduit bei horizontall elongated and provided with a series o water-sealed tra the retort and the pump, and wi a waterdeliv'ering nozzle adjacent to t lie` retort, means bein provided for forcing water 12 An puatwle' bstatiall .v a us su n y as ied by claim 1,' the retort prosviided with a refractory lining, containing air paasagesi and the ap aratus comrising means for orcing air t protect the lining. v

13. An apparatus substantially `as an o foolfrom tween the tank an the ump, an adapted to receive gas passing rough the pump.

In testimony whereof Signatura fied'by claim 1, comprising also lecting tank, arranged to receive oil said'pump, and a meter inte he i asuriii.

betweenv ughsai passagesto 

